I am on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association and recently returned from our winter, 2013 meetings. It comes as no surprise that the Obama administration’s predictable and despicable response to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a major topic of discussion. The information revealed during these meetings makes it abundantly clear that Americans are not facing merely a legislative battle, but a war on our very culture and way of life.

For decades, there have been numerous attacks on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding American gun owners. These attacks are always based on lies and the false claim that by giving up one’s constitutional right they will be safer. History and experience prove that these allegations are false, yet those who would deprive American citizens of the right to possess and carry firearms for all lawful purposes are not deterred. Apparently, they ascribe to the theory that a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth.

Who are trying to deprive Americans of their Second Amendment rights?

The current assault on the rights of American gun owners is like nothing seen before. The combined efforts of President Obama, multi-billionaires Michael Bloomberg and George Soros, Hollywood media moguls, MoveOn.org and numerous other liberal anti-gun organizations have coalesced in an effort to deprive law-abiding Americans of the ability to possess and use firearms for self-defense as well as other lawful purposes. The money available to this Obama-Bloomberg Coalition is virtually limitless. Michael Bloomberg was recently asked how much he was planning to spend in an effort to deprive Americans of their Second Amendment rights. His response was, “Oh, I don’t know, I spent between $600 million and $700 million trying to stop kids from using tobacco products.” Bloomberg’s wealth is estimated between $18 – $20 billion, so he could easily afford to spend several hundred million dollars trying to deprive Americans of the right to self-defense. Coupled his wealth with that of George Soros, MoveOn.org supporters as well as Hollywood liberals, and it is clear that law-abiding Americans are facing the biggest challenge to their constitutional rights since the British tried to force us to keep flying the Union Jack.

Anti-rights plan was in place long before the Sandy Hook shooting.

To every honest American with even a shred of humanity and decency, the senseless slaughter of 20 six-year old first graders and six brave adults trying to protect those innocent children in the Sandy Hook shootings was a heart-stopping, gut-wrenching event that sent them to their knees in prayer for the victims’ grief-stricken families. For the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition, however, it was a political opportunity to launch their already organized offensive against the Second Amendment. An attack on the American Constitution of the size and scope currently seen requires a great deal of planning, financing, preparation and coordination. An effort of this scale cannot be kept secret and information had been leaking out for months.

The anti-gun response by all of those making up the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition was too rapid, too coordinated, too well-funded, and too consistent to have been an impromptu response to the tragedy in Newtown Connecticut. President Obama obviously wanted to wait until after the presidential election to launch his the anti-gun campaign. This should come as no surprise since the President had previously been heard telling the Russian President to wait until after his last election when he would have more “flexibility.” (President Obama made this comment believing the microphone he was wearing was not live.) The shameful truth is that the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition used the Sandy Hook shootings as a Hollywood-like soundstage to launch their long planned attack on the Second Amendment. Regardless of the political issue, this tactic is despicable. I am so proud that the NRA took the high road and allowed the families of the victims the time and privacy they needed, rather than launching a blatant political attack as did our opposition. Character does matter.

Cultural war, not merely legislative war

The Obama-Bloomberg Coalition knows full well that passing anti-Second Amendment legislation is going to be difficult with the current Congress. For this reason, Vice-President Joe Biden first hinted that President Obama may use his “authority” to issue executive orders to achieve many of his gun control goals. President Obama soon followed Biden’s statement by claiming that he was going to issue numerous executive orders that would directly and negatively impact law-abiding Americans. Since President Obama learned his political antics in the most corrupt city in the most corrupt state in the entire country, there is every reason to believe he will not view the United States Constitution as any limitation on his authority.

Regardless of the short term impact of President Obama’s executive orders, the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition is well aware that the courts will provide an avenue for Americans to overturn unconstitutional executive orders. Unfortunately, this will take time and money and the anti-Second Amendment Coalition will not remain idle. Their goal is to change American culture so that firearms are universally perceived as evil tools that no decent, honest, law-abiding citizen would ever want to possess. This is where the Hollywood element of the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition comes into play. For decades, Hollywood producers, directors and actors have used movies, sit-coms, inaccurate news reporting, and so-called “investigative reporting” to promote a liberal agenda. This machine is already preparing to direct its efforts against American gun owners. While some believe it will take at least one generation to effectively brainwash a majority of Americans, the impact of an all-out war by the liberal entertainment industry and the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition against the Second Amendment could do irreparable damage in far less time.

Second Amendment Supporters Must Unite and Join the Fight

It would be a tragic and disastrous mistake to underestimate the power and impact of the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition and its virtually unlimited funding. The only way the Second Amendment can be preserved is by getting all law-abiding American gun owners and potential gun owners to unite and fight against the anti-Second Amendment Coalition. The only organization capable of uniting Americans and leading the fight to preserve the Second Amendment is the National Rifle Association of America.

There was a time when having one member of the family join the NRA was sufficient, but that time has passed. If you are not an NRA member then join today. If you are a member, then get every member of your family to join the NRA as well. If you have gun-owning friends who are not NRA members then strongly encourage them and all of their family members to join. Be sure to donate to the NRA as often as you can. Donations of any amount are appreciated and when combined with millions of other American gun owners, they help provide the NRA with the resources necessary to counter the lies of the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition. Consider setting up an automatic monthly donations to the NRA. Regardless of the generosity and support of American gun owners it will not be possible to keep up with the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition spending, but it is not necessary to match them dollar-for-dollar. It is necessary only that we have sufficient resources to get the truth to the American people who would otherwise be misled by the campaign of lies that will be launched against the Second Amendment.

NRA’s Approach to Defending the Second Amendment against Obama-Bloomberg Coalition

The NRA realizes that the only way to oppose the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition’s attempt to disarm American citizens is to approach the fight the same way we do a political campaign. We must get the truth to the American people so they are not deceived by the daily dose of lies they are going to see coming from Hollywood, the media and the White House. Campaigns also require that Americans get involved and contact their senators and congressmen to let them know they will not tolerate any additional infringement upon their Second Amendment rights. If your Senator and Congressman support the Second Amendment, then be sure to call and write them to express your thanks and your support for their position. If they do not support the Second Amendment then you must contact them and tell them that that you demand nothing less than their unfaltering support of your right to keep and bear arms.

Many in Washington are true believers in the Second Amendment and they will be unwavering in their opposition to gun control legislation. Many others, however, currently support the Second Amendment with far less enthusiasm and they could well waiver under the weight of political pressure at home, and through unrelenting media attacks. They will feel the need to "do something" so they can go home and tell their constituents they have taken action to protect innocent children. It is critical that these lukewarm friends of the Second Amendment understand that their constituents will not accept further restrictions on their Second Amendment rights. The NRA is the only organization that can get the word out to millions of American gun owners of this critical need to make direct contact with their elected representatives. But as noted below, we need your help to win this fight to save the Second Amendment.

What Can Each of Us Do?

It is human nature that the majority of people supporting a cause or a belief are not actively involved in the effort. Unfortunately, most have heard the statement that "90% of the work is done by 10% of the people." If this phenomenon holds true in the current battle to save the Second Amendment, then American gun owners will lose the fight. Every one of us must be on the playing field; none of us can sit in the stands and cheer.

It is not sufficient for us to merely be members of the NRA, each of us must be NRA recruiters. Do not merely suggest or request that a friend or family member join the NRA, pull up the NRA website on your laptop or your mobile device and ask them to do it now. Impress upon them that time is of the essence as this battle can be lost in the opening weeks if the response of Americans supporting the Second Amendment is lacking.

The battle to save the Second Amendment is comprised of three critical time periods, the immediate fight to prevent and overturn unconstitutional executive orders, the legislative battle that will wage until at least the 2014 mid-term elections, as well as the long-term cultural battle that will last for years. Joining tomorrow is too late; thinking about joining is not sufficient. If we lose the short term battles, the war on the Second Amendment could be lost. The only way to counter the limitless funding of the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition is by growing the NRA far beyond its current four million members. We need to be 20, 30, 40 million strong or more to provide a lasting and effective bulwark against efforts to destroy the Second Amendment.

State level efforts and opportunities

The strength of the NRA is in its grassroots capability. Tens of millions of American gun owners willing to answer calls-to-action with letters, faxes and telephone calls comprise a political force that no anti-gunners can defeat. But merely being in uniform is not sufficient, people must stand ready to act each and every time they are requested to make phone calls and write letters or send faxes. Not just one letter either, we must be ready to answer each and every call-to-action. We cannot think “I’ve done my part, now someone else can respond.” All of us must stay engaged and resign ourselves to the fact that this is going to be a long battle. The impact these communications have on elected officials cannot be overstated, so let no one think we are asking people to engage in trivial acts or mere “busy work.” Fear of the American electorate is the only way we can fight the financial strength of the Obama-Bloomberg Coalition.

When we make contact with elected officials, when we have the opportunity to engage in public speaking, or when we are talking with friends and families we must remember to keep our emotions in check. Making threats or engaging in "saber rattling" is not only ineffective in communicating our message, it is counterproductive because it destroys our credibility by making us appear to be unstable zealots. Liberals and others seeking to destroy the Second Amendment often try to bait us by making inflammatory or insulting remarks hoping that we will respond in kind. The best approach to engaging others about the importance of the Second Amendment is to be “resolute but respectful.”

The simple and sad truth is that we all have a clear-cut choice; we either join the fight or we sit on the sidelines and watch the Second Amendment become a mere historical footnote in the story of America. To paraphrase Joshua's deathbed speech, for me and my family, we choose to fight.